Orissa: Maoists blow up railway track

Bhubaneswar, May 21: Maoists on Saturday blew up a railway track and set afire at least 12 dumpers in Orissa"s Sundargarh district on the first day of a two-day bandh called by the rebels.

The rebels triggered a landmine blast damaging a stretch of railway track at a place between Renjeda and Roxy, about 90 km from the steel city of Rourkela, Railway Protection Force (RPF) sources said.

Nobody was injured in the incident that took place in Rourkela-Kirbur section, they said, adding no damage was caused to a goods train on the route as its vigilant driver stopped it after noticing the damaged track.

Movement of goods trains carrying iron ore and other materials to Rourkela Steel Plant and the only passenger train between Rourkela and Kirbur was affected, officials said.

The rebels also set afire at least 12 dumpers at Chunaghati on National Highway No. 215 under Koida police station in Sundargarh district.

The shutdown has been called by the rebels against alleged security excesses. Normal life was affected and shops and business establishments closed in areas like Bonai, Koida and K. Bolang of Sundargarh district.

Life was also affected in other districts including Malkangiri, Rayagada, Koraput, Gajapati and Kandhamal during the bandh as buses stopped plying and most private vehicles went off the roads in these regions, they said.

A large number of people were stranded in Kalimela, Motu, Padia and MV-79 areas of Malkangiri due to suspension of bus services, they said.

Shops and business establishments also downed their shutters in many places, particularly in semi—urban and rural areas.

Security was tightened in Maoist stronghold areas with deployment of force.